India Beats China at Its Own Game in Vaccine Diplomacy Fight
Bloomberg 2/26/2021 Iain Marlow, Archana Chaudhary and Kari Lindberg
(Bloomberg) India’s huge capacity to make coronavirus vaccines is helping the country take on China in the battle to gain political influence across the developing world.
Popular Searches
Competition among poorer nations to get cheap or free vaccines to fight the pandemic had given China a golden chance to strengthen ties in emerging markets it has been courting for years. And initially Beijing seemed in a strong position. It suppressed the domestic spread of Covid-19 last year and accelerated the production of shots.
Magma Fincorp Ltd., an Indian financier for vehicles and homes, surged to the highest in 19 months after the chief executive officer of the world’s biggest maker of vaccines said he’s buying control of the shadow lender.
Controversy Swirls Around India’s Homegrown Covid Vaccine Bloomberg 2/3/2021
(Bloomberg)
A year ago, Krishna Ella was simply known for running a small Indian pharmaceutical company with a reputation for scientific rigor. Then came the pandemic that put the scientist and his family at the center of one of the world’s loudest furors over a coronavirus vaccine.
In June last year, India’s drug regulator permitted Ella’s firm Bharat Biotech International Ltd. to develop a homegrown vaccine in record time. Since then the company has been buffeted by controversies ranging from unrealistic government schedules to sporadic reports of adverse reactions. Matters came to a head last month after the government approved its shot before the completion of final human trials.